OMG! Female Iranian Mathematician Succumbs to Breast Cancer at age 40

Becoming a writer was her dream as a child. Interestingly, the Iranian born mathematician surprised herself and the world with her mathematical genius. Sadly, her inspiration expired on July 15, 2017. Following a four year battle with breast cancer, the 40 year old lost.

Nevertheless, Maryam Mirzakhani made crucial contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. That’s not all. She was a female role model who demonstrated that brains are beautiful.

Maryam Mirzakhani was born in Tehran, Iran in 1977. She attended, Tehran Farzanegan, a government-run school for exceptionally talented girls. For her undergraduate degree, she attended Sharif University. Afterward, Maryam pursued a Ph.D. and graduated from Harvard University in 2004.

Between the years of 2004 and 2008, Maryam served a research fellowship at the Clay Mathematics Institute in Peterborough North Hampshire. She was also an assistant professor of mathematics at Princeton University. Her accomplishments as a mathematician are more than notable.

Awards and accomplishments

She won the Fields Medal in 2014 along with Martin Hairer, Artur Avila, and Manjul Bhargava. The citation for her Fields Medal singled out her work. Areas of mathematics such as topology, dynamical systems, and hyperbolic geometry were some of the papers from her citation.

The Fields Medal, is similar to a Nobel Prize.

It is otherwise known as “International medals for outstanding discoveries in mathematics.” It is the highest scientific award for mathematicians.

Maryam wasn’t only a mathematician winning the highest award in her field. She overcame obstacles exerting force to push her into submission as a woman. Coming from a culture where women aren’t even allowed to drive, Maryam overcame enormous amounts of pressure. She deserved this most highly esteemed award.

Maryam was merited the Blumenthal award in 2009, and the Clay Research Award in 2014.

The Blumenthal Award is another accolade. It is presented to those who have made substantial strides in the field and research of mathematics. It also credits future contributions. Maryam was also elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2016 for her brilliant mathematical mind. All this displays how great our loss is at this time.

Other achievements

These are Maryam’s professional accomplishments. That’s not saying much about the daring imagination and fearless ambition she possessed. She could not have been the shining star that we know her to have been without her determination to overcome the attitudes and expectations of women from the country of her origin.

Maryam fought bravely the limited rights that women can enjoy in Iran. She deserves as much respect for that battle as she does for her magnificence in Mathematics and her struggle with cancer.

Maryam Mirzakhani will be remembered by many as a mathematician. Nonetheless, Maryam is survived by her husband Jan Vondrak, and their daughter, Anahita. No doubt we wish the family condolences on their loss. We understand the passing of Maryam Mirzakhani is sad indeed. She will be remembered and greatly missed by many.